The Philokalia

A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality

Edited by Brock Bingaman and Bradley Nassif

The first volume to collect scholarly essays on the Philokalia.

The Philokalia

A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality

Edited by Brock Bingaman and Bradley Nassif

Description

The Philokalia (literally "love of the beautiful or good") is, after the Bible, the most influential source of spiritual tradition within the Orthodox Church. First published in Greek in 1782 by St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Macarios of Corinth, the Philokalia includes works by thirty-six influential Orthodox authors from the fourth to fifteenth-centuries such as Maximus the Confessor, Peter of Damascus, Symeon the New Theologian, and Gregory Palamas. Surprisingly, this important collection of theological and spiritual writings has received little scholarly attention. With the growing interest in Orthodox theology, the need for a substantive resource for philokalic studies has become increasingly evident. The purpose of the present volume is to remedy
that lack by providing an ecumenical collection of scholarly essays on the Philokalia that will introduce readers to its background, motifs, authors, and relevance for contemporary life and thought.

The Philokalia

A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality

Edited by Brock Bingaman and Bradley Nassif

Table of Contents

Abbreviations UsedForeword: Kallistos WareIntroduction: Brock Bingaman and Brad NassifHISTORYChapter One: St. Nikodimos and the Philokalia by Kallistos WareChapter Two: The Making of the Philokalia: A Tale of Monks and Manuscripts by John Anthony McGuckinChapter Three: The Influence of the Philokalia in the Orthodox World by Andrew LouthChapter Four: Conversing with the World by Commenting on the Fathers: Fr Dumitru Staniloae and the Romanian Edition of The Philokalia by Mihail NeamtuTHEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONSChapter Five: The Luminous Word: Scripture in the Philokalia by Douglas-Burton ChristieChapter Six: Concerning Those Who Imagine That They Are Justified by Works: The Gospel According to St. Mark - the Monk by Bradley
NassifChapter Seven: The Theological World of the Philokalia by Rowan WilliamsChapter Eight: Tradition and Creativity in the Construction and Reading of the Philokalia by J.L. ZecherChapter Nine: Becoming a Spiritual World of God: The Theological Anthropology of Maximus the Confessor by Brock BingamanChapter Ten: The Ecclesiology of the Philokalia by Krastu BanevChapter Eleven: Evagrius in the Philocalia of Sts Macarius and Nicodemus by Julia Konstantinovsky SPIRITUAL PRACTICESChapter Twelve: The Place of the Jesus Prayer in the Philokalia by Mary B. CunninghamChapter Thirteen: Uses and Abuses of Spiritual Authority in the Writings of St. Symeon the New Theologian by Hannah HuntChapter Fourteen: Hope for the Passible Self: The Use and
Transformation of the Human Passions in the Fathers of the Philokalia by Paul M. BlowersChapter Fifteen: Healing, Psychotherapy, and the Philokalia by Andrew Louth and Chris CookChapter Sixteen: The Philokalia and Regulative Virtue Epistemology: A Look at Maximus the Confessor by Frederick D. AquinoChapter Seventeen: Women in the Philokalia? by Sr. Nonna Verna HarrisonChapter Eighteen: Solitude, Silence, and Stillness: Light from the Palestinian Desert by John ChryssavgisIndex

The Philokalia

A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality

Edited by Brock Bingaman and Bradley Nassif

Author Information

Brock Bingaman is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Religious Studies Program Director at Wesleyan College.

Bradley Nassif is Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at North Park University.

Contributors:

Frederick D. Aquino - Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at Abilene Christian University Krastu Banev - Lecturer in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University, UKBrock Bingaman - Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Wesleyan College Paul M. Blowers - Dean E. Walker Professor of Church History at Emmanuel School of ReligionDouglas Burton-Christie - Professor of Theology at Loyola Marymount UniversityJohn Chryssavgis - Theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issuesChristopher C.H. Cook - Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham UniversityMary B. Cunningham - Lecturer in Historical Theology at the University of NottinghamVerna E.F. Harrison - Research fellow at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology Hannah Hunt - Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at Leeds Trinity University CollegeJulia Konstantinovsky - British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellow at Christ Church, Oxford.Andrew Louth - Professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at the University of Durham and a priest of the Diocese of Sourozh, Moscow PatriarchateJohn Anthony McGuckin - Ane Marie and Bent Emil Nielsen Professor in Late Antique and Byzantine Christian History Professor of Byzantine Christian Studies at Columbia University and a Stavrophore priest of the Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Romania) Bradley Nassif - Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at North Park UniversityMihail Neamtu - Scientific Director of the Institute for Investigation of Communist Crimes and Memory of Romanian ExileKallistos Ware - Titular metropolitan of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Great BritainRowan Williams - Current (104th) Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All EnglandJ.L. Zecher - Member of the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Durham, UK

The Philokalia

A Classic Text of Orthodox Spirituality

Edited by Brock Bingaman and Bradley Nassif

Reviews and Awards

"This is a fascinating and illuminating volume which will be welcomed by scholars and general readers alike." --The Journal of Theological Studies

"It is not just that this volume on the history, sources, contents, and relevance of the Philokalia is much needed and long overdue, but that the range, breadth, and erudition of the contributions in it are breathtaking. At a time in which the term 'spirituality' has become a dodge from substantial religious conviction and serious religious practice, the Philokalia instructs in a way of prayer and spiritual discipline that has muscle and commands attention. This volume will stand for some time as the definitive introduction to the Philokalia and by way of this, also, to the Orthodox theological tradition."--Vigen Guroian, Professor of Religious Studies (Eastern Christianity), University of Virginia